My story of very MINIMAL hair loss

[Blue Door 54]

Yesterday I hit the 100 lb. mark, and to Celebrate I want to share my experience with not losing much hair. Let me start by saying that I have no way of knowing if all the things I did to minimize hair loss really are what helped keep it to a minimum, or if I just got lucky. However, I will say that I had a major surgery three years ago following a significant illness, and after that surgery I lost hair by the handful. It got so thin that I felt embarrassed by it. Because of that experience, and the fact that it had just really gotten back to normal when I had my sleeve surgery, I was determined to do whatever I could to minimize Hair loss after VSG. Today I am 8 months out from surgery, and have no noticeable difference in the thickness of my hair.

Here's what I did to try to combat hair loss... First and foremost was getting my Protein in like it was my job. I consume a minimum of 60 grams daily, with some days going up to almost 90 grams. I took my Vitamins religiously as well. I added 10,000 units of Biotin to my Vitamins as well. I used only Paul Mitchell Scalp Care Shampoo for thinning hair https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Thinning-Stimulate-Conditioner-Strenghten/dp/B01DQ1CUJI/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1513363108&sr=8-3&keywords=paul+mitchell+thinning+hair+products It seems expensive, but a bottle this size lasted me 7 months. Each time I shampooed I also used Rogaine foam on my scalp. I did a lot of research on it, and there are some studies that show it can slow or prevent hair loss, so I figured I'd give it a try. The Rogaine is hard on the existing hair. It dries it out quite a bit, so I also used a deep moisturizing conditioner to offset the effects of the Rogaine. My existing hair became more coarse for a while, but I was glad it was sticking around, so I could live with the drier texture!

From about 3 months to 7 months after surgery I did lose a bit more hair than is typical, but it never came out in clumps or filled my brush like had happened with my previous surgery. Today I can see no visible difference in the thickness of my hair, and I am very relieved and happy with the results. Now I lose only a typical amount of hair each day, so I have stopped using the Rogaine. I am continuing with the Biotin and am still using the Paul Mitchell shampoo, and I like the way it makes my hair feel.

I know hair loss is a big concern for lots of us. My experience with doing these things was very good, but again, I have no way to know for sure if my hair loss was minimal because of the things I did or if I just got really lucky. The way I look at it is that I had nothing to lose trying what I did, and I had the approval of my doctor to take the biotin, so it was worth a try. I would encourage you to speak with your doctor before changing anything with your vitamins. I hope this helps some of you with minimizing hair loss as well.

[BusyMom945 63]

Thank you for sharing!

[Creekimp13 5,840]

I've been using rogain as a preventative, too. Put a little foam on before bed around my hairline and crown a couple times a week, and Shampoo it out in the morning. Here's hoping!

[etc. etc. etc. 440]

I take in a bare minimum of 85 grams a day of Protein, usually more like 100. I'm also meticulous about my Vitamins. I do not seem to have lost hair since my surgery in August.

[SouthernGirl76 74]

Thanks for sharing. Mine just started falling out and I have been lacking in Protein.

[Dawnislas 74]

My Dr said I could use up to 20,000 mg of Biotin safely. I use Niacin, minoxidil, and the biotin. After heavy Hair loss mine has finally stopped. I think the extra 10,000 mg of biotin did the trick.

[EagerPenguin 159]

I've been worried about Hair loss. For the last year or so I've been taking a massive amount of Biotin every day, but I didn't think about preventative Rogaine. Thank you for sharing!

[GotProlactinoma 458]

I can’t tell your genders. Is rogaine also for women? A month ago (4 mo post op) even though I lose only about 6 lbs a month, I started losing tons of hair. I was taking Biotin but maybe not enough. I ran out and gave up because I’ve lost 2/3 of my hair it seems. This happened after I gave birth 6 yrs ago too and then it stopped. I will start up with the biotin in larger doses. I hope and pray this loss stops soon. I didn’t think it would happen to me with my slow slow weight loss.

[Blue Door 54]

I am female. There is Rogaine specifically for women, but I used the product geared to men because the concentration of active ingredient was higher.

[VSGnewguy 164]

My suspicion is that it has been the adequate levels of Protein that have been the biggest help. We WLS patients are basically engaging in medically supervised starvation for a period of time and Hair loss is a result. Getting adequate nutrition seems like the obvious solution.

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